The first is a modular shawl from Jojoland "built" using Melody. Our shawl is knit from five different colorways so that you can see what each of them look like knit up. The pattern actually calls for one colorway - but you decide! Marge knit this shawl and she wrote me and said: I just finished the shawl made with Jojoland's Melody.  Melody is 100% superwash wool and comes in 1.76 oz. 220 yard skeins.  Recommended needle size is US 1to 3, 7 or 8 stitches/inch.  The skeins are dyed in long color bands with gradual changes to the next color and the colors are beautiful.  I used five different colorways and they all worked together beautifully. The yarn is very, very soft and also very forgiving.  When I had to 'tink' to do correcting, the yarn didn't fuzz up or get kinked, it looked just like new. I like this yarn and would definitely use it for another lightweight project.

The second is a new pattern from Deanna's Vintage Styles. It is a beaded short row shawl. We used Heritage Handpainted Bloomfield in the Trout colorway. It took one skein of yarn and three packages of beads (also available here). This shawl is quite remarkable. It stays on with no tieing or shawl pin required. On the front side (not pictured), the edge is lined with beads and these keep it close to your body. It also feels good to wear - the beads add a bit of weight - but not too much - which makes it feel quite elegant. Thanks to Cindy for knitting this one.

 

The final shawl was knit from 4-ply Wagtail mohair by Kathy. This yarn is absolutely too wonderful to describe. The Wagtail story captivates me. First off, the mohair is grown and processed entirely on one family's farm just off the coast of Queensland in Australia. The flock was established by breeding the best of the best from Australia, Texas and South Africa. The results are nothing less than spectacular.

 

To meet their own strict quality requirements, they shear, spin, dye and package all on their farm. Gaylene, one of the owners, regularly attends the summer trade show in Columbus. She is a dear. Just wish she didn't live half a world away - I instantly liked her when I met her three years ago! I asked her why the name "Wagtail?" and she said they are the birds that sit up above them in the sheds as they work. We import Wagtail yarn on cones so that you don't have to deal with slippery ends from joining 100 gm skeins. This shawl is one of their patterns and it will be available soon. The close up shows what great pattern definition and luxury the yarn provides.

This combed top is a joy to spin. Not too slippery, perfect for spinning from the fold (what? don't know how to spin from the fold - or at least not successfully - ask me to demonstrate next time you are in).  The top comes in seven different colors and we have all of them. Read more about it and see Christel's experiments with it on our blog.